After a while, Carabosse finally managed to tear herself from the mirror within the gloomy room in Aurora's mind. She looked at the depressing walls. They were still decorated with dusty cobwebs and were dripping with mouldy damp.

"What's going on Carabosse? What do you mean you'll never leave me alone again?"

"Just that, I will not leave you. I cannot. I - I cannot trust him," Carabosse said vaguely, whilst involuntarily glancing at the clouded, enchanted mirror.

"Who?" questioned Aurora. The shake of the dark fairy's head made her sigh with disappointment. "Why do you always refuse to tell me anything?" she huffed.

Carabosse didn't say anything, instead she strolled around the small space available within the dark room, then stopped and looked at a free corner. With a graceful wave of her hand, she made the ground tremble, and a seat grew up from the stone floor. She sat down, her raven wings lay comfortably underneath her.

"You mean it don't you?" Aurora asked, her gaze not leaving the stone throne that the dark fairy created with her magic. "You really are staying? You're not going to leave me?"

"That's right," Carabosse said and crossed her legs, as if to physically show the princess that she meant it.

"I don't understand. What happened?" Carabosse's drifting gaze sparked the frustration Aurora felt towards her stubborn captor. She stepped closer, getting into the fairy's face, refusing to back down. "Tell me, Carabosse. You owe me some sort of explanation."

Carabosse looked her straight in the eye with an intimidating glare.

"I owe you do I?" she asked mockingly.

"Well," the princess began. The confidence she felt surprised her. "This is my dream and I say you do owe me. So just tell me. Now!"

The decibels within the last word that left the princess's mouth, magically took hold of Carabosse's reluctant mind, and her mouth opened against her will.

"I have found out that I have been following the wrong path. I was following the Dark One blindly, and I don't want to be blind anymore."

"The Dark One?"

"Yes, he was the one who taught me the dark arts. It was from him that I learned the curse I put on you. All this time he had manipulated me," Carabosse explained, her eyes unblinking as if she was in some sort of a trance.

"What changed?" the princess pressed, taking advantage of the sudden power she had over the dark fairy. "Why can't you trust him anymore?"

"I learned the truth, and he killed my only friend before my eyes." Carabosse stared into the abyss as a memory she had been trying to run away from for the longest time entered her mind. "He died just how my Mama died," she uttered so quietly, the princess had to strain to hear her. "With a hole in his chest and a missing heart..."

As she said that out loud a thought suddenly entered her mind. She shook herself from the princess's power, got up from her seat and rushed towards the mirror.

She placed her palms against the glass and squeezed her eyes shut.

When she opened them again, the gloomy room had gone and she found herself kneeling where she once knelt years ago; within the Great Oak, in the centre of the Enchanted Forest.

She managed to enter her own memory, and with her new perspective, she was able to lift her head, even though her past self was hiding her face in despair. She saw her class being herded out by Heartha as the green flames of her past self's panic-filled outburst spread around the room. Everything moved slowly like a crawl as she focused hard on all that happened on that dreadful day.

Carabosse forced her eyes to look towards where she knew her Mama would be. There, the glittering green winged fairy stood perfectly whole as the emerald flames flew around her. Her blue eyes were wide with terror, however, her fear filled gaze did not fall upon Carabosse, but was staring straight past her.

The memory exploring dark fairy glanced over her shoulder and saw exactly who she expected to see.

Achlys was standing there, behind her crouching form. His cloak fluttered in an ominous breeze and black smoke danced eerily around him. As the green flames were still flying through the air in slow motion, the Dark One lifted his hand and sent dark magic through the air. Carabosse watched it soar and strike her Mama in the chest, where a gaping hole scorched through leaving no traces of a heart in its unforgiving wake.

More black smoke then filled the room as the green fire died down. Achlys had disappeared, leaving Carabosse and her mortally injured Mama within the charred remains of the Great Oak - ready for Heartha's return.

"Carabosse, what have you done?" Heartha's misled voice echoed unnaturally, getting quieter and quieter as Carabosse was pulled away from the mirror by a worried dreaming princess.

"What were you doing?" Aurora demanded. "You were staring into the mirror for so long - longer than you usually do!"

No words could come to Carabosse. The hurt she felt after seeing what she saw sealed her lips shut, and the anger at the injustice she just witnessed began to claw at her insides. She violently flung her hands out, making the princess start. Emerald flames lit up all around them, dancing up from the dirty stone ground.

"Carabosse, stop! Carabosse, please, what happened?" Aurora yelled over the loud crackling of the anger fuelled flames.

"He killed her!"

"What?"

"Achlys, the Dark One. He killed Mama!"

The flames disappeared as Carabosse felt the warmth of a sudden embrace. She opened her eyes and the first thing that she saw were the long golden strands of the princess's hair.

"Shh..." Aurora sought to calm the dark fairy, whilst stroking her fingers along her large, raven wings. "You are not alone."

Confusion grabbed at Carabosse's throat, making her breaths tremble from her crimson lips. She pushed herself away from the princess, who carefully loosened her grip around her shoulders. Aurora then looked up into the dark fairy's distraught face and wiped away her tears.

The sight of the black, inky, tear stains upon Aurora's hand took Carabosse out of the beautiful moment that they shared.

"What do you think you are doing?" Carabosse demanded turning her winged back towards the wide eyed girl.

"I - I only... I just..."

"How dare you touch me?"

"Carabosse..."

"I am the Dark Fairy! Your enemy! I am only here to ensure that you stay trapped! I'm not here to be your friend!" Carabosse snapped, with a dangerous glare. However, Aurora refused to be intimidated and stood her ground.

"I don't think that's true. You came back for another reason, I know you have."

"And what reason is that?" the Dark Fairy questioned with a raised brow.

"You care about me."

Carabosse scowled and turned back towards the mirror.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Aurora pushed with a knowing smile.

"Humans!" Carabosse scoffed. "Ever deluding their tiny minds!"

"You can pretend all you like, but I know it's true. You came back because you saw that I was lonely." Then she added with a grin, "Claudia was right about you."

"Claudia? What's she got to do with anything?"

"She told me that there is more to you than what meets the eye. She told me that she thinks that your darkness is just a front. I am beginning to see that she is right," Aurora explained. She did not see the stern expression that began to creep upon Carabosse's unimpressed face.

"What nonsense!" Carabosse dismissed over her shoulder. Her gaze began to get lost within the mirror, which moved with a mix of colour. This made all conversation come to a sudden halt.

"What is it? What are you seeing?" Aurora sought to bring Carabosse out of the silence.

With a sly smile, Carabosse moved aside so that Aurora could see her godmother within the clouded glass. She was flying beside a strangely dressed man riding a horse, with determination upon his focused face.

"Whose that?"

"He's the human that Cezanne has found to wake you up."

"He is?" Aurora was not able to hide her excitement as she responded, and the light in her eyes caused annoyance to twist at Carabosse's stomach.

"Don't get your hopes up, Princess."

"But, why not? If Cezanne found someone why can't he wake me up? He looks nice." A rosy tint coloured the princess's blushing cheeks. "He's handsome."

Carabosse rolled her eyes at the young princess's naivety. "He won't be able to get past my thorns nor - wait..." She suddenly realised that she hadn't looked at her white roses - to see what condition they may be in. She mentally kicked herself for not keeping an eye on her own spell. With a touch of her fingertip on the cool glass, she changed the picture.

The mirror revealed the princess lying peacefully upon her bed with dried up wilted flowers surrounding her. Not one white rose had survived the power of time.

A growl ripped through the dark fairy's bared teeth. "No!"

Another touch and the strangely dressed prince graced the glass again. He was chopping through the wall of thorns with ease, Cezanne's magic glistened within the sword he held in his hand.

"How has she-?" Carabosse spoke with panic in her voice. "No! This cannot be!"

She then lifted her hands above her head and lit flames all around her.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?" Aurora tried to reach out towards Carabosse, only to be burned by the green fire.

"You are all I have, in this whole world, Princess. I am not going to allow that Rosebush fool to take you away from me. I cannot let her win!"

The flames then engulfed the dark fairy and she disappeared from the gloomy room.

◇

Surrounded by her flames, Carabosse appeared in the castle courtyard before the armed prince.

"Carabosse! Stand aside. You cannot win! The light is on our side and so is the Great Power!" Cezanne declared as she gracefully landed beside the prince's steed.

"It's laughable that you think that I'll just let you pass without a fight!" Carabosse sneered as she reached into her black dress for the wand Theia gave her. She drew it out and as it swished through the air, her emerald magic made it grow in her hand; forming it into a long glowing green blade.

"Carabosse, no! Please!" Carabosse's eyebrow twitched at hearing Aurora's faint pleads inside her mind. It shouldn't have been possible. However, the voice was so quiet that she decided to ignore it.

"Are you ready to face me, Prince?" Carabosse challenged the young man.

"Indeed," he said, slipping off his majestic horse and squaring up to her with unwavering confidence. "As Fairy Cezanne said, I have the Great Power on my side."

"The Great Power?" Carabosse repeated mockingly. "Dear boy, the Great Power takes no sides! He doesn't care what happens here."

"That's not true!" shouted Cezanne. "You've got this, Désiré. I'm behind you. All the light is behind you!"

Prince Désiré squared his shoulders, making himself look taller and steady.

Carabosse made the first move and lunged towards him. Green sparks flew as the two swords clashed together. The two of them danced around each other, expertly sparring. The darkness guided Carabosse's every move, the light guided Prince Désiré. They seemed to be equally matched, until Carabosse waved her free hand and sent out magical black chains through the air. They slithered towards the prince and wrapped, tightly around his wrists, stretching his arms out wide and forcing him to drop his sword.

"No!" Cezanne screamed. "Carabosse, you evil cheat!"

"What rules have I broken, Sister? It is not my fault that you were unprepared." Carabosse taunted the Red Rose Fairy. "I told you, The Great Power takes no sides," she added with a smirk.

She then lifted her sword above her head ready to strike the prince down.

"STOP!" Aurora's voice crashed through the air, making Carabosse freeze. "Please, Carabosse, don't do this," the princess then pleaded gently.

"How are you doing this?" Carabosse answered the melodious voice that echoed in the air.

"Doing what?" Cezanne demanded, not knowing that her god-child was magically communicating with the dark fairy. Her question was left unanswered. Everything seemed to be put on pause. Her champion was still tied up and all magic was frozen in time.

"Carabosse, please don't kill him. I know you don't want to really. You are not a killer," Aurora carried on pleading to the determined dark fairy.

"What is this magic?" Carabosse hissed, struggling against the invisible force that was holding her. "Let me go!"

"No, Carabosse, you let me go. Let me live my life."

"What? So that Cezanne wins? No! I can't! I'll have nothing. I-I'll disappear!" Carabosse's voice trembled through her effort to speak as she carried on pushing against her binds.

"You deserve to disappear!" yelled Cezanne, who only heard half of the conversation going on before her.

"Cezanne, stop!" Aurora's voice managed to break through and reach her godmother's ears. "You don't understand!"

"Aurora?" Tears filled the Rosebush twin's eyes as she heard the long lost sound of her favourite human's voice.

"Fairy Cezanne, what's going on?" Désiré asked, as he struggled against the dark chains.

"You will not disappear, Carabosse, I won't allow it!"

"Aurora, what are you saying?" Cezanne asked, outraged.

"You are lying to me," Carabosse hissed.

"Why would I lie to you, when the truth is so much more fun to impart?" Carabosse could hear Aurora's smile as she quoted the dark fairy's own words back at her. This only made her irritation grow.

"Let me go, Princess!"

"No! Not until you let the prince go!" A stubborn fire scorched in Carabosse's eyes, and Aurora's voice quietened back to a gentle whisper that only the dark fairy could hear.

Cezanne wondered what Aurora could possibly have said, as she watched her enemy's face begin to crumble. Carabosse lowered her wand, which returned to its original form and slipped it back inside her dress.

Without another word the dark fairy released the prince, opened her mighty raven wings and leapt into the sky.

As Cezanne and the prince rushed towards the castle to awaken Aurora, Carabosse flew threw the clouds away from the human kingdom.

For Aurora made Carabosse understand that she did deserve a life, and being trapped in misery was no life to live; no matter who was there to experience it with her.

However, what Aurora failed to understand was that there was no place for Carabosse within the world that she belonged to. The dark fairy had to leave and find her own place in the world, and this place was a lonely place indeed, the only place where darkness should truly abide - the great wilderness, known as the Land of Death.